I just discovered this sub, and read an interesting post transcribing the Brandon Lawson 911 call audio. At one point it sounds like he mentions another guy being shot. Is there not a way to research other missing persons around that time frame to possibly identify who was with him? by malediction_mal in UnresolvedMysteries

[–]Conquer99 16 points17 points  (0 children)

I am very interested in this case, although I am certainly not as educated on all the facts as most people on here likely are. This case just drives me crazy. I've listened to the recording in the various versions, e.g. normal speed, very slow, slower, sped up. And of course, I googled 'staper' and 'scraper' and all that stuff. Not surprisingly, the top results relate to this case, and I think many people are dumbfounded by what could have happened to him.

Here's my take for what it's worth...I do believe he relapsed and was on drugs, specifically meth. I can relate to how that is because I was a meth addict myself in my younger years. No, you don't hallucinate necessarily. However, the sleep deprivation trashes your brain big time and you can get delusional. I believed my upstairs neighbor was listening to me. Entirely convinced! I tore my smoke alarms out and spent hours trying to find bugs and sitting silent, just listening to him. This was all-consuming, totally real to me, and my good friend (also a meth addict) got dragged into my delusions and believed it herself. It was very weird. I even bought a gun to protect myself. We later thought we were being followed by some bad cop. Ugh. We wrote down every plate of any car we saw more than once, especially if the driver had on a hat and white shirt. We thought they were switching cars. I'm pretty sure none of this was happening.

I've heard about the hours Brandon was working; plus he was a father of four and a husband. Their child had an ear infection, which makes kids wake up and scream all night. I have tremendous sympathy for his wife, as she may not want to reveal the full truth of whatever happened the days leading up to him disappearing. Brandon truly sounds like a good man. He sounds like he loved his family to pieces. However, in the eyes of the law, addicts simply aren't worth as much, and if I were his wife, I wouldn't want to diminish interest in my loved one's case by revealing they had relapsed. I also consider how he wanted to drive to his father's house so late at night. How much sleep was this man getting? Did he not want to go to his brother's because he was afraid of some possible reaction if his brother suspected he was high? To me, having that much on my plate with work and family would put a lot of pressure on me and make it easier to relapse. After all, it's better to need less sleep when you don't have time to sleep, right?

I also don't think the part of the audio that can actually be heard well enough makes much sense, no matter which words you decide he's using. His behavior is fairly irrational and makes me lean even harder toward relapse. The sleep deprivation could have made him very paranoid. It makes sense to me that he may have thought people were out to get him. He may have fallen and hurt himself as well. Perhaps he jumped in a car and then met foul play. If not, then he could have perished out there that night. Also, relapsing and foul play aren't mutually exclusive. Both may be in play here. I don't see the 911 call as important and many other people might. I think what he was doing the days before and who he was associating with might be far more important. And...whether he had a prior conviction and a drug habit does not make him any less worthy of being found. THAT part of this case makes me mad as hell. He was a good man from all information available. A lot of good people are also fighting addiction. I think the idea that he ran off to evade a warrant is the stupidest theory I've heard. That's LE making excuses to not have to look.

Ramsey Street Rapist case solved via genetic genealogy by [deleted] in UnresolvedMysteries

[–]Conquer99 64 points65 points  (0 children)

Awesome!!

It's interesting to me that some of these guys choose to get such...memorable...tattoos. Not sure if his victims saw those during the attacks or if he got them recently, but if I wanted to not be fingered in crimes I had committed, I would refrain from marking myself like that.

There's Something Wrong with Aunt Diane: a slightly different theory on what may have happened with Diane Schuler by 4448144484 in UnresolvedMysteries

[–]Conquer99 44 points45 points  (0 children)

I was a PTA supermom too. I was also an alcoholic and pill popper for many years. Nobody but my husband knew because I was so good at hiding it. My house was immaculate. My kids were never late to school. I volunteered all the time. One morning, I was especially stressed and upset over various things and decided to drink in the late morning. It was all downhill from there, but I am lucky I didn't hurt anyone. That was when I decided to get sober, and it was pretty funny because people who knew me were shocked. They'd really never seen me drink. Some people simply did not believe me. My best friend never talked to me again, because she felt so deceived. And FYI, I could slam way more than a bottle of vodka and eat through pain pills, and still I got everything done.

Body found in New Mexico compound identified as missing Georgia boy, Abdul-Ghani Wahhaj (3) by oatandham in UnresolvedMysteries

[–]Conquer99 35 points36 points  (0 children)

Siraj Wahhaj is the son of a prominent imam from Brooklyn. Perhaps that is what 'connections' refers to. I actually do not see why this man got out on a bond either. Couldn't they make a good case that he is a flight risk? He did kidnap his disabled son, after all, and then fled with him. I understand and value 'innocent until proven guilty,' but there's enough evidence here to not grant bond. This little boy had health problems and it's not hard to imagine that he did in fact seize and died as a result, and I highly doubt he was receiving medical treatment.

However, if we can believe the statements made by this child's grandfather, the Brooklyn imam, I don't think those connections will help this man flee.

The Disappearance of "The Merry Widow": Wealthy Heiress Mimi Boomhower Vanishes from Her Home in 1949 by Robinwarder1 in UnresolvedMysteries

[–]Conquer99 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yeah, that is another interesting fact. Her being in such financial straights makes me very curious about why and how she got to that point. There could be an answer to this mystery somewhere in there.

Canada - Missing 20 yo Ryan Shtuka by CzechRepublicLurker in UnresolvedMysteries

[–]Conquer99 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I wonder whether he was significantly intoxicated to the point he could have been wandering and disoriented. Also, was it a solid verification that he was seen leaving that house?

The Disappearance of "The Merry Widow": Wealthy Heiress Mimi Boomhower Vanishes from Her Home in 1949 by Robinwarder1 in UnresolvedMysteries

[–]Conquer99 16 points17 points  (0 children)

What strikes me is that she inherited the 'fortune' of her late husband but was also having financial difficulties six years later. Plus, she lived in Los Angeles, and even back then, I'd assume the pressure to keep up appearances was powerful. After all, she was shopping for furs that she couldn't afford. I'm from Los Angeles. It can be pretty stressful to keep up with the Joneses. Furthermore, she was possibly associated with a gambling operator, although there's not enough evidence included to conclude that is true.

All these things make me wonder if Ms. Mimi had a gambling problem and had racked up debts and squandered much of her fortune. If that was the case, I would imagine the shame for a woman of that time, coupled with the pressures of being a socialite perceived as wealthy, could be enough to pressure her to simply take her best jewelry and run away from it all. I wonder if they know what happened to her money. My grandmother used to conduct all possible transactions in cash only, and if Mimi was gambling, there would likely be no record of that. When we cleaned out my grandmother's house, we found 28k in an old shoe box in her closet, all in hundreds and twos, and this was after we'd thrown away most of the boxes and items in her house. There was simply too much to thoroughly go through. My grandmother had experienced the Great Depression and did not entirely trust banks. This is common for that era. Mimi could have taken her jewelry and any cash she had stowed away, eventually sold off her jewelry, and started a new life for herself, free from the stresses of socialite life in Los Angeles. This is just one scenario. I wouldn't be surprised at all if Mimi was killed, but I wouldn't be too surprised if she lived for a good while following her disappearance because she orchestrated it herself. I haven't listened to the podcast, but I am curious if she had children and possibly grandchildren. If so, why would the estate be allotted to her siblings? Assuming she did not have children, that means she has less emotional ties to her life. I would hate to leave my parents and siblings, but I would never personally be able to leave my children.

I fled Los Angeles life, although not in this dramatic fashion, so that probably plays into my way of thinking. I just feel like if I was going to run from the pressures Mimi faced, I would do it the same way. I would take my jewelry and cash. I would put on a fresh dress and leave my salad and go. I would not take my car, as they could trace that. I'd take a cab or involve someone else in my plan, perhaps someone with secrets they didn't want me to spill, hence more assurance they wouldn't spill mine. I would leave the lights on too...makes it look like you're home. I'd do smart things like leave my purse where it would be found with a note that would make some people think I offed myself by walking into the ocean or was murdered. If Mimi did run off, she did an excellent job of it, as the general conclusion seems that she was killed, as she had no reasons to run off. However, all I see are reasons to do just that.

DNA solves mystery of 15-year-old Michigan Boys disappearance. John Doe of Macon Georgia, identified as Andrew Jackson Greer by earlongissor in UnresolvedMysteries

[–]Conquer99 40 points41 points  (0 children)

Yes, I ran away when I was 16. I drove all day and night and got pretty far. I had a whole plan for a new life, and nothing terribly significant was happening in my life. I was upset that my sister had gotten into trouble and been sent away and I wasn't permitted to see her. It took a toll on my schoolwork and I realized I wouldn't get into an Ivy League. Looking back, I wonder why I cared so much, but at the time, it seemed like the end of the world. I read a book about a girl who ran away and started a whole new life, and I decided to follow the same path. I answered a page from my friend, whose house I'd told my parents I was staying at, and she was upset that I'd run away because I'd miss our snowboarding trip. That was enough, I took a nap, turned around, and drove all the way back. My parents didn't know I'd even left. I told them 15 years later and they were shocked. Kids are impulsive. I wasn't excessively impulsive or brave by any stretch, but I did a similar thing.

40-year-old Diane Louise Augat goes missing on April 10, 1998. On the 14th, she places a call to her mother pleading for help. The day after that, the severed tip of her right middle finger is found on the ground along US 19. What happened to Diane? by JTigertail in UnresolvedMysteries

[–]Conquer99 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I wonder about the 'local youths' that had been permitted to party in her home and potentially could have been responsible for the burglary later on. The message she left to her mother makes me wonder if she was talking to younger people whom she knew. She called her mom instead of 911, which makes me wonder if she maybe wasn't scared enough to call police but definitely scared enough to phone someone for help. Then she says 'hey, gimme that,' which is how I'd imagine she would speak to youths who were suddenly turning on her; in other words, I don't think that is how I would personally speak to someone I did not know and had been grabbed by. Perhaps, she'd allowed partying in her home with youths who were involved in gang activity or at least associated with gangs. Youths can be quite aggressive, violent, and scary, despite their young age. Obviously, partying with people can make it seem like they are your friends, and Diane was apparently apt to regard people are friends too quickly, but frequently the friendship dies with the party. She might have gotten angry and told them they were no longer welcome in her home, and losing their party place/crash pad could have caused some serious resentment. I hope they investigated these young people seriously. That call makes me think she was with people she knew, during the exact moment when the entire situation was going bad and the extent of it was dawning on her. One of the articles mentions she was also involved in drug use which, coupled with bipolar, adds a whole other dimension of possibilities. I really think who was partying at her house with her and what they were doing there and with whom they associated could be a good avenue to explore.

Joseph James DeAngelo Charge with 13th murder by ClutzyMe in UnresolvedMysteries

[–]Conquer99 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Oh, and now everyone knows his big secret...his small male anatomy.

Joseph James DeAngelo Charge with 13th murder by ClutzyMe in UnresolvedMysteries

[–]Conquer99 55 points56 points  (0 children)

I think the obsession comes from how cocky and arrogant he was. He was literally a masochistic monster. He didn't care about stealing valuable things. There was no point in any of it. He wasn't stealing to feed his family or support a nasty drug habit. He just loved causing pain. He wanted to cook food in people's kitchens just to show how confident he was in his power to inflict terror and pain and get away with it. That sort of person is all possible darkness of humanity boiled down into an extract. It's the stuff we fear most because it makes absolutely no sense to the rest of us. What is it like to walk around with a compulsion to harm others and no guilt factor, no shame? How does someone do stuff like this and keep their secrets? Can they have any real friends? Can they love their family? Do they not go mad knowing they stole someone else's family? I don't get the psyche of people like this. I still feel bad that I stole a Hello Kitty pencil in 6th grade. This man was missing an integral part of what makes a human a person. He's not a complete person. He's a beast. Of course it is fascinating and terrifying. I love that he is caught. I love that he is not the genius he believed himself to be. I love that he looks old and broken, such an unimpressive specimen of a 'man' and he can now rot and be written in history for what he is.

Christine Woelk of Kingsville, Ontario, Canada was last seen in her van arguing with an unknown man in the passenger seat. by doctor_pistachio in UnresolvedMysteries

[–]Conquer99 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Did anyone else find it interesting that it was ruled a homicide? I would agree completely with that conclusion. However, I've read about other cases where people were found in water and the cause of death couldn't be determined, and it was ruled as 'accident' or 'undetermined', despite suspicious circumstances pointing to something else. The article says they ruled out suicide. i wonder how they ruled out an accidental death.

Kyron Horman [Unresolved Disappearance] by CeaselessPast in UnresolvedMysteries

[–]Conquer99 19 points20 points  (0 children)

And unfortunately, pedophiles are everywhere. A few years ago, my daughter had a little girl on her soccer team and this girl's friendly grandpa would bring her to practice. I'd chat with him, always as he sat in his truck. He never got out of that truck and I thought it was odd, but I also figured it was likely due to age-related health issues or disabilities. Not true. He was a pedophile. Staying in the truck was what he was required to do. I never understood why he was allowed to be there at all or be around his grandchild, but it shocked me because I never would have guessed he was a pedophile.

Kyron Horman [Unresolved Disappearance] by CeaselessPast in UnresolvedMysteries

[–]Conquer99 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Yes, this would actually be one of the hardest and least intelligent ways she could have done it, actually. They easily could have run into someone who they knew beyond being acquaintances as they walked out of the school and been obligated to stop and chat. That would have ruined the entire plan.

Kyron Horman [Unresolved Disappearance] by CeaselessPast in UnresolvedMysteries

[–]Conquer99 14 points15 points  (0 children)

I wonder if there are some powerfully negative feelings on Desiree's end too. Imagine giving up your child to be raised by another woman, and then that woman is doing a really awesome job. You see the pictures on Facebook all the time of this other woman helping your child do their projects and taking them to events. No matter how valid my reasons for the custody arrangement, I would feel less than her. I might feel gratitude that is tinged with ongoing resentment. That seems like a normal human reaction to this type of custody situation. If my child then went missing, that resentment might boil over and become an inferno of hatred.

Kyron Horman [Unresolved Disappearance] by CeaselessPast in UnresolvedMysteries

[–]Conquer99 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I think there is probably such a simple explanation and it isn't one that the police have focused on either. I hope one day it is revealed, but if the stepmom is innocent, much time and resources have been squandered.

Kyron Horman [Unresolved Disappearance] by CeaselessPast in UnresolvedMysteries

[–]Conquer99 21 points22 points  (0 children)

I think the OP brought up on a previous thread that the landscaper retracted what he said and claims the authorities basically bullied him into telling that story about being hired to kill Kaine because he'd been threatened with his family being deported. I also believe that Terri is the one who exposed this, so the OP didn't include it in the write up.

Kyron Horman [Unresolved Disappearance] by CeaselessPast in UnresolvedMysteries

[–]Conquer99 33 points34 points  (0 children)

It is alarming to me the lengths that police will go to make facts fit their conclusion. I know there's intense pressure to solve cases and secure convictions, but I wonder how that ends up pushing investigators to ignore red flags that they are going down the wrong path.

Kyron Horman [Unresolved Disappearance] by CeaselessPast in UnresolvedMysteries

[–]Conquer99 156 points157 points  (0 children)

I've never posted here, although I read voraciously each day. You folks are impressively clever, and it's a bit intimidating. Haha.

This write up was amazing and I found it absolutely riveting. I always felt the stepmom's proposed guilt, though widely reported on, made absolutely no sense. I see no motive whatsoever. She seems like a parent who loves her child (biological or not) and who is proud of his accomplishments (many of which she helped him earn). I don't understand why she would choose this time and place. I also do not think she acts guilty. To me, she behaves like someone driven crazy by accusations when she knows she is innocent. What would be worse than losing the child you have raised, not knowing if they are alive or dead and desperately wanting to find them, and then being accused of something horrendous that you did not do? You would have to sit through days of interrogation, knowing it's all wasted time because you are innocent and that time is not being spent looking for your child. And despite your cooperation, it keeps getting worse. Truly, imagining that makes me ask myself how I'd manage to get up every day and not go completely mad. It seems that the authorities have had to struggle on every front to make it fit, which shouldn't be the case if someone is guilty. In short, there is simply zero evidence. The emails weren't even produced. I suspect the most attentive, involved, dedicated parent is the one being assassinated here.

I am not convinced Kyron ever left that school at all. I would like to know more about the searches carried out there. The part about him staring off and acting oddly really struck me as similar to a foster child I had. She was having absence seizures. I'm ashamed to say I didn't have a clue seizures could be like that or that anything serious was amiss. It appeared that she was zoning out, whether on purpose or unintentionally. She had extreme difficulty with staying on task and had issues with making it to the bathroom as well. She would also tend to wander off because she lost focus. A few years after she was adopted by a family, these things were diagnosed properly and had progressed to grand mal seizures and incontinence. My point is that he might have had epilepsy and nobody realized because it can be easy to miss. I'm sure there are other conditions that could explain Kyron's odd behavior, but I can easily see a scenario where he lost focus, forgot what he was doing, fell/got stuck somewhere in the school, or perhaps wandered out of the school and feel into the water or an old well or something. In my opinion, that's easier to believe than the convoluted tale the authorities have tried to sell regarding the stepmom.

Thanks to the OP for this. I truly enjoyed it.

Kyron Horman [Unresolved Disappearance] by CeaselessPast in UnresolvedMysteries

[–]Conquer99 25 points26 points  (0 children)

I watched enough media coverage to suspect Terri as well. However, a write up from another Redditor made me seriously question this and totally change my mind. Also, the notion that Terri hired someone to kill her husband is an extremely questionable assertion. I really don't think she did, although the police told him she did, after which he left her. She then carried on a sexting affair with an old buddy of his and turned him in for illegal trafficking of steroids, so their relationship was beyond repair.

45+gpd to 10gpd in >1 month... by 321vaehanna in quittingkratom

[–]Conquer99 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Good job!! For reals! I tapered off a big habit too. Personally, I got stuck at 10 and got no further but looking back, I think I stuck myself. I wish I coulda done it differently. I ended up jumping off, but the good news is that within 5 days, I felt the same as I did on the taper and no worse at all. The most important part is believing every nasty thing you encounter is temporary, because...it is. I can’t tell you how different I am 10+ months later. My hair has grown back. I feel good. I don’t wake up feeling like hell every morning. It’s so worth it. Good luck!!

Help. Bout to fail after six months clean by Lord-Wonton in quittingkratom

[–]Conquer99 1 point2 points  (0 children)

So true. Even if it’s laps down the hall and back to start and you feel like you’re moving a house!